Method for simultaneously coating and measuring parts

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for simultaneously coating and measuring a part. The apparatus includes a part support, a sprayer and a part measurer positioned adjacent to the part support and a display device positioned adjacent to the part support. The sprayer applies a coating to a section of the part while the part measurer continuously measures a dimension of the section of the part being coated. In one embodiment, an initial amount of coating and a final amount of coating are applied to the section of the part based on the dimension measurements and desired dimension of the part. In another embodiment, the amount of coating applied to the part is based on the desired coating thickness. As a result, the apparatus and method of the present invention significantly reduces the margin of error related to the application of coatings to parts.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of, claims priority to and thebenefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/190,982, filed Jul. 8,2002, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to the following co-pending commonly ownedpatent applications: “Apparatus and Method for Forming a Bonding on aTapered Part,” Ser. No. 09/782,695, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,371 B1,Attorney Docket No. 0111339-010; Apparatus for Simultaneously Coatingand Measuring Parts,” Ser. No. 10/190,980, Attorney Docket No.011139-021, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,947 B1; “Apparatus forSimultaneously Coating and Measuring Parts,” Ser. No. 10/447,249,Attorney Docket No. 0111339-025, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,577 B2;“Apparatus for Simultaneously Coating and Measuring Parts,” Ser. No.10/810,179, Attorney Docket No. 0111339-028; “Apparatus forSimultaneously Coating and Measuring Parts,” Ser. No. 10/828,694,Attorney Docket No. 011139-029; “Apparatus and Method for SimultaneouslyCoating and Measuring Parts,” Ser. No. 11/014,557, Attorney Docket No.0111339-035; and “Apparatus and Method for Simultaneously Coating andMeasuring Parts,” Ser. No. 11/014,558, Attorney Docket No. 0111339-036.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates in general to a coating apparatus andspecifically, to an apparatus and method for simultaneously coating andmeasuring a part, and simultaneously coating the part based on thedesired dimension of the part, desired coating thickness or both thedesired dimension and coating thickness.

Several different types of parts are manufactured and assembled forvarious industries. The parts are used on different types of products,devices, equipment and machines. The characteristics of the parts varybased on the particular use for the parts. Some parts used in certainproducts, devices, equipment and machines are often subject to stresssuch as wear and heat. Eventually, certain parts break or becomeineffective after continuous and repeated use.

One method commonly used to increase the durability of the parts subjectto various types of stresses during operation is to apply protectivecoatings to the parts. Some coatings protect parts against friction orwear so that the parts are more durable and last longer in operation.Other coatings enhance the aesthetic appearance of the parts. Coatingsmay be applied to the entire part or only applied to a particular wall,portion or section of the part. The particular coating, and applicationof the coating, depends in part on the part and the coating processrequested or desired by the manufacturer of the part, purchaser of thepart or user of the part.

Known coating apparatus coat several different types of parts includingfabricated, molded and die-cast parts. Such parts are typically manuallyplaced on a part holder or support and then sprayed with a coating. Thepart may be moved as necessary to coat the part or the particularportions of the part. The vast majority of parts have dimensionaltolerances or tolerance levels, and design specifications that limit thesize (including all dimensions) of the part and the amount of coating,such as the maximum and minimum amount of the coating that may beapplied to the part or any section, portion or dimension of the part.The maximum and minimum coating thicknesses for a part or parts aredetermined based on corrosion requirements and other similar quality ordesign parameters. The dimensional tolerances and design specificationsare determined from detailed calculations based on the particularmachine, equipment, product, device or industrial operation that thepart will be used in. Therefore, the part must be measured to ensurethat the part falls within and does not exceed the particular dimensiontolerances and/or maximum and minimum coating thicknesses specified forthe part.

In one known process, non-coated parts are initially measured todetermine if they are within an acceptable dimensional range. Somenon-coated parts are too large and cannot be coated because the coatingwill make the parts larger than the upper dimensional limit of theparts, and unfit for use. Other non-coated parts are too small andcannot be coated because too much coating would have to be applied tothe parts in order to meet the predetermined dimensional tolerances.Such excessive coating on a part may become weak and may be prone tobreaking or causing the part to fail during operation. Such unusableparts are usually discarded or recycled. The parts that are within anacceptable dimensional range for coating are individually placed on apart support and sprayed or coated by a sprayer. The sprayer sprays orcoats the part with an amount of coating determined according to aparticular formula that is calculated, and often estimated, by theoperator or processor so that a reasonably sufficient amount of coatingis applied to the part to make the part within dimensional tolerances.In certain known coating systems, the amount of coating is notdetermined for each part, but rather for a group or lot of parts.Therefore, the amount of coating applied to each part may or may not bebased on the exact measurement of such part.

In other known coating systems, prior to coating the part, the part ismeasured to determine if it is within acceptable dimensional rangesestablished for the part. If the part is within the acceptable dimensionrange, the amount of coating needed to coat the part to achieve thefinal product size is calculated and then applied to the part. After thecoating is applied, the part is measured to ensure that the part withthe coating is still within the dimensional tolerance limits and designspecifications for the part. If the final part is not within thedimensional tolerance limits and design specifications for the part, thepart is discarded. If the part falls within the tolerance limits anddesign specifications for the part, the part is removed from the partsupport and transported to the manufacturer, purchaser or user of thepart.

One known problem with such known coating processes is that the coatingthat is applied to the part is applied without any measurements takenwhile the part is being coated. After completion of the coating process,the part is measured to determine if it is within establisheddimensional tolerance levels and design specifications. If the coatedpart is not within the established tolerance levels and designspecifications, the part cannot be used for its intended purpose. If thepart is too large or too big, the part dimension cannot be reduced inorder to meet the desired design specifications. Similarly, if the partis too small after applying the coating, additional coating cannot beapplied because the original coating has dried and additional layers ofcoating would diminish the strength and durability of the part due topoor adhesion between the coating layers. Therefore, a significantmargin of error is introduced into or present in the known coatingprocesses based on the calculation of the amount of coating to beapplied to achieve the final product. The known coating processescalculate the total amount of coating needed to achieve the final partsize only at the beginning of the coating process and in certain systemsbased on measurements taken of a group or lot of parts instead ofindividually on the part to be coated. In such case, all of thecalculated amount of coating is applied to the part. Applying a largeamount of coating to the part is less accurate than applying a smalleramount of coating because the margin of error is greater.

Accordingly, there is a need for a coating apparatus and method thataccurately measures a part size and/or the maximum and minimum coatingthicknesses of a part while coating the part so that the part is coatedwith greater accuracy, consistency and efficiency, which reduces theoverall number of unusable coated parts.

Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will beapparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a coating apparatus and method and morespecifically a coating apparatus and method which measures a part,applies a coating to the part based on such measurement and continuouslymeasures the part during the coating process.

One embodiment of the coating apparatus and method of the presentinvention includes a frame, a part support positioned adjacent to theframe, a sprayer connected to the frame and positioned adjacent to thepart support, a part measurer connected to the frame and positionedadjacent to the part support, a processor that receives the measurementsrecorded by the part measurer and calculates the particular dimension ofthe part before and as the part is being coated by the sprayer and adisplay device that displays the part dimension or size to an operatorbefore, after and during the coating process. In one embodiment, thecoating method of the present invention applies an initial amount ofcoating and then a final amount of coating to the part. Applying thecoating in two steps and in one embodiment applying a smaller finalamount of coating, reduces the margin of error associated with thecoating process which increases the accuracy of the coating process.

In one embodiment, the part support receives and holds the part duringthe measuring and coating process and rotates or otherwise moves thepart as needed to ensure that the part or the portion or section of thepart to be coated is sufficiently and equally coated by the sprayer. Thepart support is mounted on a housing which encloses a motor. The motoris mounted in the housing and causes the part support to rotate orotherwise move. The motor housing is secured to the frame to maintainthe position of the part during the coating process. In anotherembodiment, the part support includes a conveyor which is positionedadjacent to the frame and adapted to hold and transport a plurality ofparts. The conveyor transports each part to be coated by the sprayer.The conveyor then transports the parts to other processes which makesthe coating process fully automated.

In one presently preferred embodiment, the part measurer is secured tothe frame and includes a laser generator and a laser receiver. In oneembodiment, the laser generator is a laser scan micrometer. However, thelaser generator may be any suitable laser generator. The laser generatorgenerates a continuous laser beam which includes a plurality of rayswhich are projected onto the part and specifically on the dimension ofthe part to be coated. In one preferred embodiment, the laser generatorand laser receiver are each mounted in protective housings. Each housingpreferably includes a transparent removable section or member whichenables the laser beam to pass through the section while protecting thelaser generator and laser receiver from overspray. Certain portions ofthe laser beam or certain rays of the laser beam pass by the part andare received by the laser receiver. Other portions of the beam orcertain rays are blocked by the part and are not received by the laserreceiver. The laser receiver generates electrical signals based on thereceived portions of the laser beam. The signals are communicated to theprocessor which calculates the measurement of the dimension the partbased on which rays are blocked and which rays are received by the laserreceiver. The measurement data is communicated to the display device anddisplayed to an operator. In one embodiment, the operator may choose thetype of information that is displayed on the display screen of thedisplay device, such as the upper and lower dimension tolerance levelsfor the part.

In one presently preferred embodiment, an exhaust duct is positioned onthe side of the part support opposite the sprayer. The exhaust ductgenerates a vacuum or suctioning affect, which suctions and capturesexcessive spray or overspray generated by the sprayer which is notapplied to the part. The exhaust duct may be any suitable type ofexhaust duct.

In one presently preferred embodiment, the coating apparatus includesair movers positioned adjacent to the housings for the laser generatorand the laser receiver to direct air across the transparent sections ofthe housing. This minimizes the amount of overspray from the sprayerthat accumulates on the surfaces of the transparent sections of thehousings of the laser generator and the laser receiver. Such accumulatedcoatings would eventually obstruct the laser beam generated by the lasergenerator and affect the measurement of the parts. In one preferredembodiment, the protective transparent members, plates or panels such asglass plates are slideably connected to the housings of the lasergenerator and the laser receiver. It should be appreciated that the airmovers may alternatively suction air to remove the excess coating fromthe vicinity of the glass plates.

One embodiment of the method of the present invention generally includesthe steps described below. The part is initially measured to determineif the part is within a particular range of acceptable dimensions orsizes for the parts. To take the measurement, the laser generatorgenerates a laser beam which is directed at the part. The laser receiverreceives the unblocked portions of the laser beam and converts thisinformation into electrical signals. The electrical signals arecommunicated to the processor, which calculates the dimension or sizemeasurement of the part and/or the coating thickness of the coating onthe part. If the part is unacceptable (i.e., the part size or coatingthickness is not within an acceptable range) a prompt is provided to theuser and the part is removed and discarded or recycled as necessary. Ifthe part size and/or coating thickness is within an acceptable range,the measurement is communicated to the display device, which displaysthe measurement information to the operator. In a fully automatedembodiment, the measurement is communicated to a robotic processor orother processor, which controls the operation of the apparatus. In thesemi-automated embodiment described above, the operator presses oractivates an input such as a start button or pedal to initiate thecoating process. After the input is activated, the processor turns thesprayer on and begins to coat the part. Once the part achieves thedesired size, dimension and/or coating thickness for the part, thesprayer is shut off and the coated part is transported to anothermanufacturing area for further processing.

The coating may be applied in one or more steps using one or more sprayguns to apply the coating or coatings to the part. In one presentlypreferred embodiment of the present invention, the coating is applied tothe part in two steps. First, an initial amount of coating is calculatedand applied to the part. The initial amount of coating is preferablygreater than half of the total amount of coating applied to the part. Inone embodiment, a significant percentage of the total coating such asapproximately ninety-five percent of the total coating is first appliedto the part. The part is then measured and a final amount of coating iscalculated and applied to the part. The final amount of coating is asmaller amount and therefore, the margin of error in calculating theamount of coating to be applied is significantly smaller. By coating thepart in two sequential coating steps, the present inventionsignificantly reduces the margin of error or deviation between the finalpart size and the desired part size.

In another embodiment, the coating is applied to the part based on thedesired dimension for the part. In this embodiment, the sprayer appliesa coating to the part while the part measurer measures the dimension ofthe part being coated. The sprayer continues to apply the coating to thepart until a predetermined dimension is achieved for the part. At thispoint, a final amount of coating is calculated and applied to the partas described above. The sprayer applies the final amount of coating tothe part while the part measurer measures the part until the desireddimension is achieved.

In a further embodiment, the sprayer applies the coating to the partwhile the part measurer measures the part until the final desireddimension is achieved for the part. Therefore, the coating is applied tothe part until the part measurer measures the desired dimension for thepart.

In another embodiment, the coating is applied based on the desiredthickness of a coating applied to the part. The coating is applied tothe part while the part measurer measures the thickness of the coatingon the part. When a desired coating thickness is achieved, the sprayershuts off and the part is transported for further processing.

In a further embodiment, one or more coatings are applied to a partusing a plurality of sprayers or spray guns. In one aspect of thisembodiment, three sprayers are directed at a section of a part to becoated and the sprayers apply a base coating or primer, a middle coatingor midcoat and a final coating or topcoat to the section of the part.The coatings are applied to the part separately while the part measurersimultaneously measures the thickness of each of the coatings as thecoatings are applied to the part. The processor receives the coatingthickness measurements for each of the coatings from the part measurerand controls the sprayers to apply a predetermined amount of each of thecoatings to the part.

In one embodiment, the coating apparatus measures and coats only oneportion of a part such as the outer surface of the part. In anotherembodiment, the part support moves the part in different directions suchas upwards and downwards, so that more than one portion of a part can bemeasured and coated. In this embodiment, a shield may be employed toprotect the other sections of the part from being coated.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the part is manually placedand removed from the part support in the coating apparatus and method ofthe present invention. In another embodiment, the part is placed on apart support which includes a conveyer which transports the part. In afurther embodiment, the part is mechanically placed and removed from thepart support such as by a robotic arm or similar device in the coatingapparatus of the present invention. The present apparatus and methodsignificantly enhances the productivity and production rates formanufacturing lines that coat parts because less time is needed tomanually move and measure the parts.

It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide anapparatus and method for coating a part that simultaneously coats andmeasures the part.

It is another advantage of the present invention to provide an apparatusand method that significantly enhances coating accuracy.

It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide anapparatus and method that provides consistent coating of parts.

It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a system andmethod that increases the coating efficiency related to coating parts.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention aredescribed in and will be apparent from, the following DetailedDescription of the Invention and the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 1B is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2B is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the coating methodof the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the coatingmethod of the present invention.

FIG. 3C is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the coatingmethod of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 where theoutside diameter of a part is measured as the part is coated by thesprayer.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the motor housing and partsupport having a part mounted on the part support.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the laser generator and air mover ofFIG. 1 where the air mover is directing air across the front surface ofthe laser generator.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the sprayer, motor housing, partsupport, part and exhaust duct of FIG. 1 where the part is being coatedby the sprayer.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line IX-IX ofFIG. 1 illustrating the laser generator and the laser receiver.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the laser generator of FIG. 1 showing aremovable glass panel slideably connected to the front of the housing ofthe laser generator.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the air movers of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the sprayers of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the dimension tolerance limits ofa particular part.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged elevation view of one embodiment of a displayscreen on a display device in the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a graphical representation of the amount of coating appliedto a part versus the coating application time.

FIG. 16A is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the presentinvention where the apparatus includes multiple sprayers.

FIG. 16B is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 16A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 9, one embodiment of the coatingapparatus 100 of the present invention is illustrated. The apparatus 100includes a frame, housing, or support 101, a part support 103 connectedto the frame for holding a part 102, a sprayer 120 connected to theframe for applying a coating to the part, and a part measurer 117 formeasuring a dimension of the part. The frame 101 preferably includes asuitable surface that can support the apparatus of the presentinvention. In one embodiment, the frame 101 is stationary and secured toa bench or tabletop (not shown). In another embodiment, the frame 101 istransportable so that the frame can be used at remote locations.

The part support 103 includes a housing 104, which is connected to theframe 101 using suitable fasteners or in other conventional manners (notshown). The housing 104 encloses a suitable motor (not shown), which inone embodiment provides power to the spindle 106 to rotate or otherwisemove the spindle. The spindle 106 is formed to hold or support the part102. In one embodiment, the spindle includes a mounting surface shown inFIG. 9. The part 102 is placed onto and secured to the surface so thatthe part does not move or disengage the spindle 106. In operation, thespindle 106 may move in any suitable direction as needed for coating thepart. In one embodiment, spindle 106 rotates in a counterclockwisedirection, which in turn rotates the part 102 in a counterclockwisedirection. It should be appreciated that the spindle 106 may rotate in aclockwise direction, counter-clockwise direction or any sequence orcombination of directions. The spindle 106 may also move up and down orin other directions for coating different sections of the part havingdifferent dimensions. In one embodiment, the part support moves orrotates the part and only one portion or dimension of the part 102 iscoated by the sprayer. In another embodiment, the part support movesupwards, downwards or in any desired direction to coat more than oneportion of a part. In this embodiment, a shield or panel (not shown) issecured to the housing 104 and positioned adjacent to the part on thepart support to prevent the shielded portions of the part from beingcoated.

In another embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 2Aand 2B, the part 102 is supported by the spindle 106 which is attachedto and transported on a conveyor 107. The part is manually ormechanically placed onto the spindle 106 on the conveyor. The conveyorthen transports the part between the laser generator and the laserreceiver. The part is coated by the sprayer 120 while the lasergenerator and laser receiver measure the dimension being coated on thepart. The conveyor 107 then transports the coated part to othermanufacturing areas such as to an oven or kiln which cures the coatingon the part. As a result, all of the components of the apparatus andmethod of the present invention are fully automated and adapted tosequentially coat a plurality of parts.

In one presently preferred embodiment, a coater such as sprayer 120 ispositioned adjacent to the spindle 106. The sprayer may be any suitablesprayer and may emit any suitable type of spray such as liquid spray,powder spray, airless spray, air-assisted spray or any combinationtherein. The sprayer 120 applies a coating to the part or a portion ofthe part as the part is moved by the spindle on the part support. Itshould be appreciated that any suitable sprayer 120, which preferablyprovides an atomized spray coating, may be used in the present system,such as a pneumatic automatic spray gun manufactured by Paasche AirbrushCompany. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, the sprayer 120includes a housing 155, which is secured to the frame 101 by supportpost 158. In one alternative embodiment, the support post is adjustableso that the sprayer is able to coat different portions of a part.

A nozzle 156 extends from the housing 155 to direct the coating emittedfrom the sprayer 120 towards the part or portion of the part that isbeing coated. The nozzle 156 is preferably removable from the sprayerhousing 155 so that the nozzle can be cleaned or replaced as needed. Thenozzle 156 is secured to the housing 155 using suitable fasteners suchas conventional co-acting threaded members. It should be appreciatedthat several different types of nozzles may be used in the sprayer 120for different types of coating applications.

In another embodiment, two sprayers 120 are employed in the apparatus ofthe present invention. The sprayer's are connected to the frame andpositioned adjacent to the part. In this embodiment, each sprayer mayhave a different output rate. The output rates may differ based on theamount of coating being applied to the part. The first sprayer coats thepart using a high pressure to apply an initial or base amount of coatingto the part. The second sprayer coats the part using a lower pressure toapply the final amount of coating. The pressure used to apply the finalamount of coating is less than the pressure used to apply the initialamount of coating because the final amount of coating is a smalleramount. The lower pressure enables the operator and/or the processor(i.e., computer) to control the sprayer and therefore, the secondsprayer applies the coating with greater accuracy.

In a further embodiment, two or more sprayers 120 are used to applymultiple coatings to a section of a part. As shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B,three sprayers 120 a, 120 b and 120 c are positioned adjacent to thepart 102 to apply separate coatings to the part. In this example,sprayer 120 a applies a primer or base coating to the section of thepart. Next, sprayer 120 b applies a mid-coat or middle coating to theprimer layer. Finally, sprayer 120 c applies a top coat or final coatingto the mid-coat layer. Each sprayer may be independently controlled toapply the coatings at the same or different rates. Additionally, thesprayers may be positioned in any suitable position in relation to thepart. The part measurer measures the thicknesses of each of the coatinglayers as the layers are applied to the part and communicates thecoating thickness measurements to the processor, which controls thesprayers. Thus, the overall dimension of the section of the part beingcoated and/or the thicknesses of the coating layers may be controlled byan operator or processor. It should be appreciated that any suitablenumber of sprayers and coatings may be employed by the presentapparatus. It should also be appreciated that the measurement of thecoating may be based on the measurement of the part prior to coating,during coating and after coating.

In a further embodiment, a single sprayer 120 having two differentoutput rates is used to coat the part. The output rates are adjusted orchanged by adjusting a dial or other suitable control on the sprayer.The control may be adjusted manually or by a processor. It should beappreciated that one or more sprayers may be employed in the presentapparatus and several different output rates may be used as desired.

A suitable coating is transported to the sprayer 120 using coatingcommunication line 121 a, which is connected to the front portion of thehousing 155. The coating communication line 121 a transports orcommunicates coatings from a coating storage tank or container (notshown), which stores the coating. The coating moves through the coatingcommunication line 121 a into the housing 155. The coating then fillsthe interior of the housing 155 to enable the sprayer to emit acontinuous flow of coating onto a part. Similarly, an air communicationline 121 b transports or communicates pressurized air generated by anair generator such as an air compressor to the housing 155. Thepressurized air and coating are simultaneously delivered to the housing155 and mix inside the housing. The air and coating mixture are emittedfrom the nozzle 156 as an atomized spray partially due to the pressurecreated by the compressed air. It should be appreciated that the coatingcommunication line 121 a and the air communication line 121 b may bemanufactured with any suitable tubing that can withstand the pressuresof the coating and air inside the tubing during operation of the coatingapparatus.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 9 and 10, in one preferred embodiment ofthe present apparatus, the part measurer 117 includes a laser generator110 and a laser receiver 108. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lasergenerator 110 is positioned on one side of the part support 103 and thelaser receiver 108 is positioned on the opposing side of the partsupport 103. The laser generator 110 and the laser receiver 108 arealigned and secured to the frame 101. In one preferred embodiment, thelaser generator 110 is mounted in a housing 113 that is connected bysupport arms 111 a and 111 b to the frame 101. Each support arm 111 aand 111 b is connected on opposite sides of the housing. The top of thesupport arms 111 a and 111 b are secured to the bottom of the housing113, and the bottom of the support arms 111 a and 111 b are secured tothe frame 101. The support arms are made of a suitable material thatwill support and maintain the stability of the laser generator 110. Thesupport arms 111 a and 111 b secure the laser generator 110 in positionon the frame 101 so that the laser generator remains stationary duringoperation.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in one preferred embodiment, the lasergenerator 110 includes a laser scan micrometer, such as the LS-5001laser scan micrometer manufactured by Keyence Corporation, and ismounted inside the housing 113. A support base 162 is connected betweenthe laser scan micrometer and the bottom interior surface of the housing113 to secure the laser scan micrometer inside the housing. It should beappreciated that the laser scan micrometer may be a free standing devicethat is positioned and secured inside the housing 113 without a supportbase 162. The laser scan micrometer is positioned inside the housing 113so that a laser beam generated by the laser scan micrometer is projectedat the proper height and position to contact the part. Opening 163 b isformed in the housing 113 so that the laser beam generated by the laserscan micrometer is emitted from the housing 113 towards the laserreceiver 108 without being obstructed by the housing.

The laser receiver 108 is connected to the frame 101 and manufacturedsimilar to the laser generator 110. The laser receiver 108 is mounted ina housing 115 which is connected to a pair of support arms 109 a and 109b. The support arms 109 a and 109 b are connected to opposite sides ofthe bottom of the housing 115. The bottom portions of the support arms109 a and 109 b are secured to the frame 101 in a suitable manner. Thelaser receiver 108 is positioned inside the housing 115 and is supportedby the support base 166. The support base is connected between the laserreceiver and the housing 115. The laser receiver 108 is positioned sothat it is vertically and horizontally aligned with the laser generator110 or laser scan micrometer. Opening 163 a is formed in the frontsurfaces of the housing 115 to enable the laser beam generated by thelaser scan micrometer to be received by the laser receiver 108.

In one embodiment, channels 146 a and 146 b are formed in the top andbottom portions of housings 113 and 115 near the front surfaces of thehousings. The channels are formed to enable transparent sections ormembers such as glass plates 112 a and 112 b to be slideably insertedinto the channels 146A and 146 b in the front of housings 113 and 115,respectively. The glass plates 112 a and 112 b cover the front surfacesof the housings and protect the laser generator 110 and laser receiver108 from being coated by excess spray from sprayer 120 that does notadhere to the part or from being damaged during operation. The glassplates 112 a and 112 b are removable and can be cleaned as necessary.The plates are also transparent to allow the laser beam to pass throughthe plates. It should be appreciated that other suitable transparentmaterials may be used as desired by the manufacturer.

In operation, the laser generator 110 such as the laser scan micrometergenerates a laser beam that comprises several parallel extending rayswhich are horizontally projected at the level of the part 102. The laserbeam is preferably wider than the part that is being measured as shownin FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the laser beam 138 is projectedonto part 102 to measure the outer surface or outer diameter of part 102before, after and as the outer surface is being coated by sprayer 120.The portions of the laser beam 138 that are not blocked by part 102proceed towards the beam receiver 106 as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.The distance between the unblocked portions of the rays represent theouter dimension or diameter of the part 102. The beam receiver 164detects and converts the received or unblocked portions of the laserbeam to electrical signals. The electrical signals are then communicatedor transferred to the processor (not shown) which performs a calculationof the measured dimension of the part based on the signal.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, in one presently preferred embodiment,an exhaust duct 128 is generally positioned on the opposing side of thepart support 103 from the sprayer 120. The coating emitted by thesprayer is directed onto the part and any excess is directed towards theexhaust duct. The exhaust duct 128 is positioned adjacent to the partsupport 103 without obstructing the laser beam generated by the lasergenerator 110. An exhauster such as a pump (not shown) is connected tothe exhaust duct 128 and creates a negative air pressure or suctioningeffect at the inlet of the duct 128, which is adjacent to the partsupport 103. The exhaust duct 128 captures and removes excess coatingsuch as coating overspray from the sprayer that does not adhere to thepart during the coating process. The excess coating collected by theexhaust duct 128 is recycled or discarded. A filter (not shown) may besecured inside the exhaust duct 128 to capture the solid material of thecoating.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 11, in one preferred embodiment, airmovers 122 a and 122 b are positioned adjacent to the laser generator110 and laser receiver 108 to direct air across the working surfaces ofeach component and minimize the amount of excess spray or overspray thatcollects on the glass plates 112 a and 112 b of the housings for thelaser generator and laser receiver. If a significant amount of coatingadheres to the glass plates of the laser generator and laser receiver,such coating will obstruct the laser beam generated or received andthereby, creates inaccurate measurements of the part. Because the airmovers 122 a and 122 b are identical, only air mover 122 b will bedescribed in detail herein. It should be appreciated that the componentsand functions of air mover 122 a correspond to those of air mover 122 b,which is described below.

Air mover 122 b is positioned adjacent to a working surface of the lasergenerator 110 and is connected to the frame 101 by suitable fasteners.The air mover includes an air director or housing 151 and a valve 154.The air director housing 151 is secured to a bracket 148. A verticalsupport arm 124, which includes an integral support ring 152, isconnected to the frame 101 on one end. The support ring 152 is adaptedto receive a horizontal support arm 150. One end of the horizontalsupport arm 150 slides through the support ring 152 on vertical supportarm 124. The slideable support arm 150 enables a user to adjust theposition of the air mover 122 b in relation to the laser generator. Oncethe position of the air mover is set, suitable fasteners are used tosecure the support arm in place within the support ring 152. The otherend of the support arm 150 is connected to the mounting bracket 148,which is connected to the housing 151. An air communication line 126 isconnected to the valve 154 of the air mover 122 b. The air communicationline 126 is made of suitable tubing to withstand the air pressure withinthe tubing. The air is transported from an air generator such as the aircompressor described above, to the valve 154. The valve 154 may be asolenoid or other actuator that opens and closes to regulate and controlthe amount of air that is directed from air mover 122 b.

In one presently preferred embodiment, a monitor or display device 130is positioned on the frame 101 so that a user can view the dimensionmeasurements of a part before, after and during the coating operation.The monitor 130 is connected to the processor (not shown) using suitablewires or cables and displays the dimensional measurements of the partcalculated by the processor. The monitor enables a user toinstantaneously and continuously view the measurements of one or moredimensions of part 102 as the part is being coated and measured by thepresent apparatus. It should be appreciated that any suitable monitorsuch as a computer monitor may be used to display the dimensionmeasurement data to a user. The monitor displays the dimensionmeasurements to the user on screen 132.

Referring now to FIG. 14, one example of the information that can beentered and displayed on the monitor 130 is illustrated. In thisexample, the screen 132 on monitor 130 displays the dimensionalmeasurement 170 of a particular dimension of the part 102. The screencan also display the dimensional tolerance levels for a particulardimension of the part such as the upper tolerance level 172 and thelower tolerance level 174. Additionally, other user selectable optionscan be displayed on the screen 130. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the usercan change what type of information is displayed by using controlselections 176. It should be appreciated that any suitable type ofselection, dimension measurement or other criteria related to thecoating and measurement of a part can be displayed on the screen 132 ofmonitor 130.

The apparatus of the present invention is used to coat a part 102 toachieve a final part or final product that meets predetermineddimensional design specifications established by the manufacturer. Thefinal product, such as cylindrical part 102 shown in FIG. 13, has anupper dimension tolerance level 164, which is the largest acceptabledimension for the particular part after the part has been coated by theapparatus, and a lower dimension tolerance level 162, which is theminimum acceptable dimension for the particular finished part after thepart has been coated by the apparatus. The dimension tolerance levelsare generally the upper and lower acceptable dimension sizes of thepart. The design specifications or tolerance levels may also be based onthe thickness of one or more of the coatings applied to the part. In oneembodiment, a target dimension or size 160 is established for each part.The target dimension 160 is the desired dimension of the finished parts,after coating, including any dimension adjustment due to heating anddrying the coating on the part. In some parts, the difference betweenthe upper and lower tolerance levels is very small (i.e., onethousandths of a centimeter) whereas in other parts there is a greaterdifference between the upper and lower tolerance levels. The dimensiontolerance levels and the part sizes depend on the particular use of thepart.

The goal therefore, is to coat the part so that the final coated part iswithin the acceptable dimension tolerance levels (i.e., between theupper and lower tolerance levels) and/or coating thicknessspecifications established for the part and in particular to achieve theoptimal dimension size 160 and/or specified coating thicknesses for thepart. As an example, the desired dimension of the part 102 may be adimension “X” as shown in FIG. 13. An upper tolerance level 164 isdetermined as (X+Y), where Y is a predetermined amount of acceptabledimension variance from the optimal dimension X for the part. Theacceptable amount of variance is determined by the manufacturer based onthe use of the part. Similarly, a lower tolerance level 162 isdetermined which, in this case, is the dimension (X−Z) where Z is theacceptable amount of dimension variance for the part. The manufactureror operator therefore coats the part 102 so that the dimension of thefinished part is between the lower tolerance level (X−Z) and the uppertolerance level (X+Y). Again, optimally, the dimension of the finishedpart is approximately equal to the desired size 160 for the part, whichis the dimension X.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A, 4, 5 and 9, one embodiment of the method ofthe present invention is illustrated where a part 102 is coated by thesprayer 120 based on a desired final dimension for the part. In thisembodiment, the part is coated with an initial amount of coating and afinal amount of coating. In the preferred embodiment, the initial amountof coating is greater than the final amount of coating. As describedabove, applying large amounts of coating to a part produces a greatermargin of error. On the contrary, applying smaller amounts of coating toa part reduces the margin of error significantly. For example, applyinga large amount of coating to a part, such as 95% to 100% of the totalamount of coating, may include a margin of error such as plus or minus2% to 3%. Applying a small amount of coating to the part may include thesame margin or error, but because the amount is smaller the relativemargin of error is smaller, such as plus or minus 0.02% to 0.03%. Giventhe above margin of error and that prior known coating processes usuallyapply all of the coating (i.e., 100% of the coating) to the part at onetime, the final amount of coating actually applied to the part,including the margin of error, ends up being between 97% to 103% of thecalculated amount of coating to be applied to the part. This range oferror is especially problematic when the upper dimensional tolerance isexceeded. The result in several parts being discarded as waste becausethe parts do not fit within the tolerance levels.

In the present method, however, a smaller amount of coating is appliedin a second or final step. By applying a smaller amount of coating inthe second step based on the measurement of the coating applied in thefirst step, the present method reduces the relative margin of error incoating the part. Additionally, in the present method the totalcalculated amount of coating is based on the desired or target dimensionfor the coated part. In order to ensure that too much coating is notapplied to the part, the sprayer shuts off when the amount of coatingapplied to the part is within a predetermined percentage of the totalcalculated amount of coating such as 0.01% to 2%. For example, if 95% ofthe total amount of coating is applied to the part in the initial step,then the actual amount of coating applied to the part will be between92% and 98%, taking into account a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.Therefore, in the second step or final step, only 2% to 8% of the totalamount of coating needs to be applied to the part to achieve the desireddimension for the part. Again, using a margin of error of plus or minus3% for the final amount of coating and that the sprayer shuts off whenapproximately 99.98% to 99.99% of the total amount of coating is appliedto the part, the total amount of coating applied to the part will beapproximately between 99.94% (i.e., 3% of 2%) to 99.99% Thus, thepresent method reduces the relative margin of error with respect to thecalculated amount of coating that is applied to the part and the finalpart size, and thereby significantly improves the accuracy associatedwith the coating method.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, the one method of the present inventionincludes the following steps. The part 102 is placed on the spindle 106on the part support 103 as indicated by block 200. Next, a laser beam138 is generated by the laser generator 110 and projected onto the part102 to measure the part as indicated by block 202. Specific rays orportions of the laser beam are blocked by the part while the unblockedrays or portions of the laser beam are received by the laser receiver108. The received laser beam, rays or portions are converted intoelectrical signals and communicated to the processor. The electricalsignals indicate the distance between the unblocked portions of thelaser beam or the size of the dimension of the part to be coated. Theprocessor receives the signals and calculates an initial amount ofcoating to apply to the part based on the initial dimension or size ofthe part received from the laser receiver and the desired size of thepart as indicated by block 204. The calculation preferably includes anadjustment factor, which accounts for the change in size of the coatedpart that occurs when the part dries or cures. In one embodiment, theinitial amount of coating is greater than the final amount of coatingfor the reasons described above. In another embodiment, the initialamount of coating is a significant percentage of the total amount ofcoating such as approximately 95% of the total amount of coating. Itshould be appreciated that the initial amount of coating may be anysuitable amount or suitable percentage of the total amount of coatingwhich reduces the margin of error associated with the coating method. Itshould also be appreciated that multiple measurements of the part ordimension of the part may be made. For instance, the part may be rotatedto take more than one dimension measurement.

Once the initial amount of coating is calculated by the processor, theoperator presses an input such as a button on a control panel (notshown), which starts the coating process. Alternatively, in a fullyautomated apparatus, the processor communicates with the sprayers andother automated components of the apparatus to begin the coatingprocess. The motor (not shown) in housing 104 is connected to thespindle 106 and rotates the spindle, which in turn rotates the part asindicated by block 204. As the part rotates, the sprayer 120simultaneously receives the coating through coating communication line121 a and pressurized air through air communication line 121 b. Thecoating and air enter the nozzle portion of the sprayer 120 and the airforces the coating out of the nozzle as an atomized spray. The sprayer120 applies the coating to the outer surface of the part 102 while thepart is simultaneously measured by the part measurer 117 as indicated byblock 208. Air movers 122 a and 122 b direct air delivered via aircommunication lines 126 a and 126 b across the working surfaces of thehousings holding the laser generator 110 and laser receiver 108. The airmovers minimize the amount of overspray or excess coating from thesprayer that accumulates and coats the working surfaces of the housingsholding the laser generator and laser receiver during the coatingprocess. Thus, the air movers prevent or minimize the obstruction of thelaser beam due to coating accumulation on the working surfaces of thehousings holding the laser generator and the laser receiver.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, as the coating is applied to the part 102 bysprayer 120, the outside diameter of the part increases and therebyblocks more of the laser beam 138 as the laser beam passes by the part102. Thus, the portion of the beam received by the beam receiver 164decreases in direct proportion to the amount of coating that is appliedto the part and the distance between the unblocked portions of the laserbeam increases. As a result, the processor continuously calculates alarger dimension measurement for the part being coated as the part iscoated by the sprayer.

The processor communicates the dimension measurements to the displaydevice 130, which displays the measurements on screen 132. As a result,the user or operator can continuously monitor the dimension of thesection of the part as the section is coated by sprayer 120. Thisenables the user to know when the part is within the predetermined upperand lower tolerance levels for the part. In one embodiment, theprocessor delivers a prompt to the user or operator when the size of thepart is within the upper and lower tolerance levels. The prompt may bean audio prompt, visual prompt or any other suitable prompt. Once theinitial amount of coating is applied to the part 102, the processorsignals the part support to stop moving the part 102 and also signalsthe sprayer 120 to stop coating the part as indicated by block 210 inFIG. 3A.

The final amount of coating to finish coating the section of the part iscalculated by the processor based on the difference between the finaldesired part size and the present size of the part including the initialamount of coating applied to the part as indicated by block 212. Thesprayer 120 applies the final amount of coating to the part whilesimultaneously measuring the part as indicated by block 214. Whenapproximately 99.98 to 99.99% of the final amount of coating is appliedto the part, the processor signals the part support to stop moving thepart and the sprayer to stop applying coating to the part as indicatedby block 216. The coated part is removed from the part support asindicated by block 218 and the coating on the part is cured using asuitable curing method such as heating the coated part in an oven asindicated by block 220. When the coating on the part has cured, the partis placed in storage for use or shipping at a later time as indicated byblock 222.

Referring to FIG. 15, a graph illustrates the coating method of theembodiment described above. The graph plots the amount of coatingapplied to the part, which is indicated on the vertical axis, versus thetime needed to apply the coating to the part, which is indicated on thehorizontal axis. The initial amount of coating is applied to a dimensionof the part as indicated by plateau 178 on the graph. Then, the finalamount of coating is calculated by the processor and applied to the partto achieve the desired part size as indicated by plateau 180. The graphfurther illustrates the difference between the initial amount of coatingand the final amount of coating applied to the part, which significantlyimproves the coating accuracy of the present method.

Referring now to FIGS. 3B, 4, 5 and 9, another embodiment of the methodof the present invention is illustrated where a section or a portion ofa part is coated. In this embodiment, the part 102 is placed on the partsupport 103 as indicated by block 300. The operator starts the apparatusby pressing a button, pedal or similar device as described above. Thepart is rotated on the part support as indicated by block 302. Then, thesection of the part being coated is simultaneously sprayed by thesprayer and continuously measured by the part measurer 117 until aninitial predetermined dimension, such as approximately 95% of desireddimension, is measured for that section. When the initial dimension ismeasured by the part measurer, the sprayer stops applying coating to thepart as indicated by block 306. The processor then calculates a finalamount of coating to apply to the section of the part as describedabove, to achieve the final part dimension or desired dimension of thesection as indicated by block 307. The part is rotated again and thesprayer and part measurer simultaneously coat and measure the section ofthe part as indicated by block 308. When approximately 99.98 to 99.99%of the final amount of coating has been applied to the section of thepart, the part support stops rotating the part as indicated by block310. The part is removed from the part support as indicated by block 312and sent to another manufacturing area for curing as indicated by block314. The part is then stored for use or shipping as indicated by block316.

In a further embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3C, the sprayer applies acoating to the section of the part being coated while the part measurercontinuously measures the section of the part being coated until thefinal dimension or desired dimension of the section has been measured bythe part measurer. In this embodiment, the part is placed on the partsupport and rotated as indicated by blocks 400 and 402. The sprayerapplies a coating to the section of the part while the dimension of thesection is continuously measured by the part measurer as indicated byblock 404. The sprayer continues to apply the coating to the section ofthe part until the desired dimension of the section is measured by thepart measurer as indicated by block 406. The rotation of the partsupport is stopped and the part is removed from the part support asindicated by blocks 408 and 410. The coating on the part is then curedand the part is placed in storage for further processing as indicated byblocks 412 and 414.

In one embodiment, the parts are manually placed on and removed from thepart support 103 such as the spindle 106 or the conveyor 107. Thisrequires an operator to receive the part from the processing area andthen manually place the part on part support 103. Similarly, theoperator manually removes the part from the part support after the parthas been coated and then sends the part for further processing. Inanother embodiment, a robotic device, such as a robotic arm (not shown),receives the part from the processing area via an operator or mechanicaldevice such as a conveyor belt, and mechanically places the part on thepart support 103. The mechanical handling of the part increases theefficiency and speed of the process and minimizes the amount of humancontact with the part. Thus, the parts can be produced efficiently andquickly with minimal physical handling of the part during processing.The robotic device removes the part after it is coated and transports itto another manufacturing area for further processing.

In another embodiment of the invention, the parts are pre-measured ormeasured prior to coating the parts, to determine if the dimension ordimensions of the parts are within a range of acceptable dimensions orsizes. In one aspect, the parts are grouped in lots or batches and arepresentative sample of the parts is measured to determine if theentire lot or batch is within the acceptable size range. If apredetermined number of sample parts from the batch is not within theacceptable range, the entire batch is discarded or recycled. In anotheraspect, the section being coated on each part is measured to determineif the dimension of the section fits within the acceptable range ofdimensions for the part. Any parts that fit within the acceptable rangeof dimensions are coated by the apparatus of the present invention.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention andwithout diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intendedthat such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present subjectmatter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is thereforeintended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appendedclaims.

1. A method for applying a coating to a section of a part, said methodcomprising: placing the part on a part support; initially measuring adimension of the section of the part to be coated; calculating aninitial amount of coating to be applied to the section of the part basedon the initial measurement and a desired dimension of the section of thepart; applying the initial amount of coating to the part; furthermeasuring the dimension of the section of the part having the appliedinitial amount of coating by projecting a laser beam at the section ofthe part and calculating the dimension of the section of the part basedon portions of the laser beam not blocked by the part; calculating afurther amount of coating to be applied to the section of the part basedon said further measurement and the desired dimension of the section ofthe part; applying the further amount of coating to the section of thepart; and removing the part from the part support.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein initially measuring the dimension of the section of thepart to be coated includes projecting the laser beam at the section ofthe part and calculating the dimension of the section of the part basedon portions of the laser beam not blocked by the part.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, which includes at least partially curing the initial amount ofcoating after further measuring the dimension of the section of the parthaving the applied initial amount of coating.
 4. The method of claim 1,which includes at least partially curing the coating on the section ofthe part after the further amount of coating is applied to the sectionof the part.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein further measuring thedimension of the section of the part is done at least partially whilesimultaneously applying the initial amount of coating to the part. 6.The method of claim 1, which includes rotating the part on the partsupport.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein placing the part on a partsupport includes placing the part on a conveyor.
 8. A method forapplying a coating to a section of a part, said method comprising:placing the part on a part support; initially measuring a dimension ofthe section of the part to be coated by projecting a laser beam at thesection of the part and calculating the dimension of the section of thepart based on portions of the laser beam not blocked by the part;calculating an initial amount of coating to be applied to the section ofthe part based on the initial measurement and a desired dimension of thesection of the part; applying the initial amount of coating to the part;further measuring the dimension of the section of the part having theapplied initial amount of coating; calculating a further amount ofcoating to be applied to the section of the part based on said furthermeasurement and the desired dimension of the section of the part;applying the further amount of coating to the section of the part; andremoving the part from the part support.
 9. The method of claim 8, whichincludes at least partially curing the initial amount of coating afterfurther measuring the dimension of the section of the part having theapplied initial amount of coating.
 10. The method of claim 8, whichincludes at least partially curing the coating on the section of thepart after the further amount of coating is applied to the section ofthe part.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein further measuring thedimension of the section of the part is done at least partially whilesimultaneously applying the initial amount of coating to the part. 12.The method of claim 8, which includes rotating the part on the partsupport.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein placing the part on a partsupport includes placing the part on a conveyor.
 14. A method forapplying a coating to a section of a part, said method comprising:placing the part on a part support; applying an initial amount ofcoating to the section of the part, said initial amount of coatingdetermined in part by: (a) projecting a first laser beam at the sectionof the part being coated from a first laser generator to a first laserreceiver, and (b) calculating the dimension of the section the partbased on portions of the first laser beam not blocked by the section ofthe part; applying a further amount of coating to the section of thepart, said further amount of coating determined in part by: (c)projecting a second laser beam at the section of the part being coatedfrom a second laser generator to a second laser receiver, and (d)calculating the dimension of the section the part based on portions ofthe second laser beam not blocked by the section of the part; andremoving the part from the part support.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the first and second laser generators are the same and the firstand second laser receivers are the same.
 16. The method of claim 14,which includes at least partially curing the initial amount of coatingafter projecting the second laser beam at the section of the part beingcoated.
 17. The method of claim 14, which includes at least partiallycuring the initial and further coatings on the section of the part afterthe further amount of coating is applied to the section of the part. 18.The method of claim 14, wherein calculating the dimension of the sectionthe part based on portions of the second laser beam not blocked by thesection of the part is done at least partially while simultaneouslyapplying the initial amount of coating to the section of the part. 19.The method of claim 14, which includes rotating the part on the partsupport.
 20. The method of claim 14, wherein placing the part on a partsupport includes placing the part on a conveyor.
 21. A method forapplying a coating to a section of a part, said method comprising:placing the part on a part support; applying an initial amount ofcoating to the section of the part; applying a further amount of coatingto the section of the part, said further amount of coating determined inpart by: (a) projecting a laser beam at the section of the part beingcoated, and (b) calculating the dimension of the section the part basedon portions of the laser beam not blocked by the part; and removing thepart from the part support.
 22. The method of claim 21, which includesat least partially curing the initial amount of coating after projectingthe laser beam at the section of the part being coated.
 23. The methodof claim 21, which includes at least partially curing the initial andfurther coatings on the section of the part after the further amount ofcoating is applied to the section of the part.
 24. The method of claim21, wherein calculating the dimension of the section the part is done atleast partially while simultaneously applying the initial amount ofcoating to the section of the part.
 25. The method of claim 21, whichincludes rotating the part on the part support.
 26. The method of claim21, wherein placing the part on a part support includes placing the parton a conveyor.
 27. A method for applying a coating to a section of apart, said method comprising: placing the part on a part support;applying an initial amount of coating to the section of the part, saidinitial amount of coating determined in part by: (a) projecting a laserbeam at the section of the part being coated, and (b) calculating thedimension of the section the part based on portions of the laser beamnot blocked by the part; applying a further amount of coating to thesection of the part; and removing the part from the part support. 28.The method of claim 27, which includes at least partially curing theinitial and further coatings on the section of the part after thefurther amount of coating is applied to the section of the part.
 29. Themethod of claim 27, which includes rotating the part on the partsupport.
 30. The method of claim 27, wherein placing the part on a partsupport includes placing the part on a conveyor.
 31. A method forapplying a coating to a section of a part, said method comprising:placing the part on a part support; applying an initial amount ofcoating to the section of the part; applying a further amount of coatingto the section of the part, wherein at least one of said initial amountof coating and said further amount of coating is determined in part by:(a) projecting a laser beam at the section of the part being coated, and(b) calculating the dimension of the section the part based on portionsof the laser beam not blocked by the part; and removing the part fromthe part support.
 32. The method of claim 31, which includes at leastpartially curing the initial and further coatings on the section of thepart after the further amount of coating is applied to the section ofthe part.
 33. The method of claim 31, wherein calculating the dimensionof the section the part is done at least partially while simultaneouslyapplying the initial amount of coating to the section of the part. 34.The method of claim 31, which includes rotating the part on the partsupport.
 35. The method of claim 31, wherein placing the part on a partsupport includes placing the part on a conveyor.
 36. A method forapplying a coating to a section of a part, said method comprising:placing the part on a part support; applying an amount of coating to thesection of the part to bring the section of the part to within a rangeof acceptable thickness for the coating, said amount of coating based onat least one measurement of the section of the part taken by projectinga laser beam at the section of the part and calculating the dimension ofthe section of the part based on portions of the laser beam not blockedby the section of the part; and removing the part from the part support.37. The method of claim 36, wherein applying the amount of coating tothe section of the part is done at least partially simultaneously withthe taking of at least one measurement of the section of the part. 38.The method of claim 36, which includes curing the coating on the sectionof the part.
 39. The method of claim 36, which includes rotating thepart on the part support.
 40. The method of claim 36, wherein placingthe part on a part support includes placing the part on a conveyor. 41.A method for applying a coating to a section of a part, said methodcomprising: placing the part on a part support; applying an initialamount of coating to the part; measuring the dimension of the section ofthe part having the applied initial amount of coating by projecting alaser beam at the section of the part and calculating the dimension ofthe section of the part based on portions of the laser beam not blockedby the part; calculating a further amount of coating to be applied tothe section of the part based on said further measurement and a desireddimension of the section of the part; applying the further amount ofcoating to the section of the part; and removing the part from the partsupport.
 42. The method of claim 41, which includes initially measuringa dimension of the section of the part to be coated before applying aninitial amount of coating to the part.
 43. The method of claim 41,wherein initially measuring the dimension of the section of the part tobe coated includes projecting the laser beam at the section of the partand calculating the dimension of the section of the part based onportions of the laser beam not blocked by the part.
 44. The method ofclaim 41, which includes curing the initial amount of coating afterfurther measuring the dimension of the section of the part having theapplied initial amount of coating.
 45. The method of claim 41, whichincludes curing the coating on the section of the part after the furtheramount of coating is applied to the section of the part.
 46. The methodof claim 41, wherein applying the initial amount of coating to the partis done at least partially simultaneously with the measuring thedimension of the section of the part.
 47. The method of claim 41, whichincludes rotating the part on the part support.
 48. The method of claim41, wherein placing the part on a part support includes placing the parton a conveyor.